Hey Guys,
So if you haven't gathered, its a little after midnight our time, meaning we had a very full day. We left our flats at 9:00 this morning to make our way to Portsmouth. After a makeshift breakfast of Starbucks and a chocolate croissant, we boarded the train. Most of us were able to do the readings for tomorrow on the 90 minute ride. When we arrived, we started in an amazing exhibit about the HMS (His/Her Majesty's ship) Mary Rose which sank in I want to say sometime in the 1500s. Fairly recently, they have recovered half of the ship that was stuck in the mud and completely preserved. We learned that it has taken them almost 34 years, which is about how long it was afloat, for them to complete the conservation process of this amazing artifact. They even found some human remains aboard, and we were told that they were able to tell the nationalities of the people by the enamel on their teeth! I thought that was just incredible! We also were able to feel some ropes from the actual ship, as well as pieces of wood. We then journeyed to lunch where most of us had our first experience with fish and chips in England. I decided to go for cod, which was okay.
After lunch, we were able to board the HMS Victory, which is the ship that Lord Nelson was shot on during the battle of Trafalgar. Some side points, Lord Nelson, as I've mentioned, was a British naval commander and is revered as a hero here. He is still a huge part of culture. The British love him! Last side point, the other day we visited Trafalgar Square on the tour with Kim where there is a giant statue erected of Lord Nelson. Anyways, the ship was huge!!!! It was so ornate, incredible that it was that old! The ship was built in the 1750s I believe, and the Battle of Trafalgar was in 1805, when Lord Nelson was shot and died 4 hours later. They have the spot marked on the ship where he actually was shot. Each cannon required about 10-12 men to load and fire because they were so big and heavy. We learned about the terrible living conditions of the men. Many of my classmates thought it was funny that I couldn't hit my head on any of the low beams, while Dr. Bell was pretty much doubled over. We all really enjoyed the tour!
When the tour was over, we journeyed over to a museum about the HMS Victory and Lord Nelson. We didn't spend much time there, but we were able to feel a replica of the death mask made of Lord Nelson's face. I also stood next to the original wheel used on the HMS Victory, which was definitely larger than I was. Briana and I were able to get inside a barrel used for water. It was put there because after Lord Nelson died, they picked him in rum for 8 weeks until they came back to London, where he laid in state in the Painted Hall which we visited the other day. The grossest part, it is said that they have a drink called something like Lord Nelson's blood because people drank the rum that he had been pickled in for weeks. Yum! haha Dr. Bell also made me and the other short girl on the trip try an activity meant for little kids, because we were under the height requirement. It was so hard we couldn't even figure out how to do it!
Our next stop was the Action Stations, which were supposed to give you a feel for some of the different parts of the navy. Several of us enjoyed playing dress up, myself included, in military uniforms. Others, including Dr. Bell, climbed the rock wall. We spent some time there and then made our way over to a shopping center. Dr. Bell let us loose for awhile and Briana and I decided to visit the Cadbury store where we bought some chocolate. We also went and I bought the second season of Downton Abbey, until Dr. Bell reminded us that British DVDs don't actually work in the US:( We quickly returned them. For dinner we went to a place called Yo Sushi where it was a sushi bar that moved. In addition to raw fish, they had lots of cooked options as well. A few of us wanted the full Japanese experience and ordered some Sakai. I ended up really liking it. It's really sweet, which I didn't expect. The lady said that we were the largest bill the restaurant has ever seen, good thing it was Maryland-paid group meal tonight!
After dinner we made our way back to London from Portsmouth and walked over to the SoHo Theatre for the comedy show called the Late Night Gimp Fight. None of us really knew what to expect. It was completely inappropriate, but very funny. We all immensely enjoyed it. I think that was everything, but it was such a long day, who really knows! Good night everyone!
How was the weather in Portsmouth? Was it colder because it was on the water? Sounds like another interesting day with some cool food experiences.
ReplyDeleteGet a good night's sleep! Sounds like you all earned it.
Love you!
It wasn't cold at all. It's so much warmer here than it is at home. It's been around 50 most days. The only day I got cold was the day we had the 2 1/2 hour outside walking tour around Westminster. I was cold that day. Other than that I have been warm! Hopefully not jinxing myself!
DeleteHi Rachel,
ReplyDeleteGetting to see the old ships was really interesting. Did the ships rock a lot while you were on them? Where there separate areas for eating, sleeping, and working or did the crew basically do all these function in the same place.
Do the Brits think 1750 was a long time ago, like we in the USA do or do they consider it the recent past? Europeans have such a different view of old.
Are you going to get to see anything from World War II while you are there?
Sounds like you are getting to do some really fun activities after you are finished with the "official" itinarary.
Love,
Dad
Hey Dad! So the ship we went on, the HMS Victory, was taken out of water a while ago to help keep it preserved. There were several different decks of the boat which some doubled as spaces for eating and working, while others were kept separate. We went all the way down and all the way up which was really neat. They actually had to take most of the cannons and things out of the ship because they were so heavy, the boat probably would have sunk. There are only 11 real cannons left on board because they way several tons, one of which we got to see. The HMS Mary Rose is not ready for viewing yet, so we didn't actually get to see it. It's only half a boat though and since it is from the 1500s, they would never let us stand on it.
DeleteFor boats, 1750 is old. For buildings, not so much. There are buildings here from like the 12th century. However, boats are hard to still have preserved and intact.
We will not focus on WWII because it is after the dates of the main part of the British Empire. We will remain roughly in the centuries before the 19th and 20th. By WWII, Britain was no longer the super power it once was. However, when I was at the museum at Docklands we looked an exhibit on our own time of WWII and how the Germans bombed London. We also saw lots of shrapnel damage on many of the statues we saw on Kim's tour from WWII. St. Paul's was pretty much the only thing that was not bombed during WWII, which the Britain's like to believe it was God protecting the basilica through the war. No one actually knows the real reason it was protected.
Paris sounds wonderful! Now I am officially jealous!!
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